Let's be honest with ourselves here. Nobody is perfect, I'm sure everybody has broken sterile cockpit. If they say they haven't, they are lying. This sets a dangerous precedent. If this actually happens, it's another tool for management. You **** off the wrong people, and this is a way for them to get to you. Not only to fire you, but to go a step further and pursue certificate action. Just wait, it's going to get ugly.

 

Don't forget our hero "Sully" broke sterile cockpit regulations. Around 2,000 feet he admired the Hudson river. Something ironic about that one...

 

While this could possibly become a labor-control tool for some managers, there is a big downside for airlines....

"Position and Hold 35"

"Uuh, we just got that nuisance message again"

"We know what it is. Are you OK with writing it up when we get back to base?"

"Yeah, sure. Otherwise we'll lose our flow time, and be here for another hour... or longer if they have to get Mx out here. Everybody will miss their connections"

"Ooops, I forgot they just started that CVR monitoring program. Tell tower we need to exit and return to gate"

 

Agreed, Rick. The Law of Unintended Consequences. If it isn't a CVR CB constantly popping, then it will be every little nuisance warning, caution or sound that will require a RTG for a maintenance check since pilots can no longer be sure about who is watching.

I'm not saying any pilot is doing anything unsafe. It's simply that "the rules" are often written for the lowest common denominator or as a catchall. If a pilot is certain that an action is safe, then they will do it even though they wouldn't do so if there was a Fed in the jump seat.

If this passes, then we'll all be flying with a "Fed in the jumpseat" every flight. That'll be fine with me. I get paid 100% per my contract.

 

They have wi-fi on some flights now. We can just IM each other on our laptops!

 

Once again the government is not going to the root of the problem. Talking below 10,000 ft does very little to effect the safety of flight. We all know that. To imply otherwise is BS. We do this job day after day, leg after leg to the point where we retract the flaps without thinking about it. I often call for gear up & don't even remember doing so. The Colgan accident wasn't not caused by breaking sterile. They'll put in the report, but it's BS & we know it. The Colgan accident was caused by a lack of airmanship, period. A chain of events lead to the fatal & tragic ending, but talking below 10,000 didn't do squat. As a matter of fact, talkig about ice on the airplane ISNT EVEN breaking sterile. It's DIRECTLY related to the safety of flight & ABSOLUTELY SHOULD be discussed.

The government is once again trying to fix something that ISN'T broke. Fix the work rules! Fix the rest rules! Fix the worthless, pointless RLA!! Fix the crooks that are management of many airlines!!! FIX THE PROBLEM!!!!!!! STOP WASTING OUR TIME!!!!!!

Rant over.

 

Ha! They can shove CVR-monitoring up their you-know-what. I will NEVER fly under that precedent. EVER.

 

Guys, you are looking at this all wrong..... You should have FUN with it!

Say things like "Oh Expletive" and "Sound similar to yawn". Or, at random moments, make barnyard sounds.

Give the transcriber something to chew on.

 

Since it is coming from the NTSB, I tend to disagree that it isn't a problem. However, like you, I also think there are much more serious problems that need to be addressed first in order to improve airline safety. I also think most of this is typical political knee-jerking to show the public "Your government is hard at work fixing the problems!"

 

once airlines begin canceling flights due to the "passenger bill of rights", this will be put in the back burner and be forgotten!

I agree with the previous post, FIX THE PROBLEM that is MANAGEMENT, REST, and WORK RULES....